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Connected
by Lovesfox
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lovesfox@rogers.com
Headers in Part 1
***
Part 11 of 12
Unknown Location
Tuesday
She heard Mulder's angry protest through the haze of her
mind, and tried to find the energy to tell him to stop
before he was punished. But by the time Scully forced her
eyes open, it was too late.
Nerves thrumming unpleasantly and heart still pounding a
furious beat, she watched in angry sympathy as he writhed
and lurched against his restraints. The tendons in his
neck stood out in sharp relief, and his face was twisted
in a grimace of pain. She fought the tremendous and
instinctive urge to cry out, knowing it would do neither
of them any good -- and in fact, could actually endanger
them further.
When the pulse ended -- Scully dazedly realized each one
was no longer than a few seconds though they felt and
appeared to be far longer -- Mulder collapsed back with
a grunt, his face pale and his eyes squeezed shut.
They opened quickly when the Doctor's voice once again
demanded their attention. "If there are no further
complaints, Agent Mulder...shall we proceed?"
Fear coiled in her stomach, made her palms go damp and
brought tears to her eyes, which she rapidly blinked
away. Clenching her hands into fists to hide their
trembling, she lifted her chin, her eyes clear. If she
was going to go down, it would not be cowering and
sniveling.
With hands likewise fisted, Mulder looked down at the
screen. Scully concentrated on his face as he studied
the image before him, worked on keeping her breathing
slow and steady, her mind focused only on him.
Though several seconds soon passed, he still did not look
up at her, the signal that he was sending his thought to
her. He was taking much longer with this one, and she
suddenly knew he was buying her time.
Time she desperately needed. For her mind was completely
blank.
The fear magnified, grew in intensity, until she was close
to hyperventilating. In her escalating panic, her eyes
had slid shut, so she forced them open and found Mulder
again -- the look in his eyes grounding her, helping her
find the calm she needed. Sucking in a lungful of air,
she held it for several seconds, and slowly released it.
Repeated the action twice more, until her breathing had
regulated and she felt ready to go on.
"Agent Scully." The low-voiced warning from the Doctor
had the fear fluttering anew in the background of her
mind. She willed it away, concentrating only on Mulder.
It was odd, but she no longer seemed able to 'hear' him.
Instead, she was trying to 'see' what he saw. Whether
intentionally or not, or perhaps because their ability
was waning, she did not know.
She wondered, given that the elements of the drug they
had been injected with were completely unknown, if it
could be possible that there was a property contained
within that caused their ability to manifest itself
differently, more literally, as in images rather than
words? That it somehow altered their perceptions of
their ability?
It sounded fantastical, yet she had already been forced
to suspend her beliefs when she and Mulder had discovered
they could read minds.
Mulder was staring at her quite intently, one eyebrow
raised just slightly, and Scully abruptly realized she
had completely lost her focus.
Angry at herself for risking them both, she applied
herself fully, trying desperately to 'hear' or 'see' the
image. There was absolutely nothing. The flutter grew
into a pounding, yet her voice was remarkably steady when
she said, "Nothing. I'm not getting anything at all."
Mulder flinched, a barely perceptible movement, and she
cringed in apprehensive anticipation for the jolt.
None came.
The Doctor turned to one of the technicians and murmured
in the man's ear. The technician bobbed his head in a nod
and hurried from the room.
"Proceed, Agent Mulder," was all the Doctor said.
It took a moment for the message to be received by her
brain -- her muscles relaxed gradually, and she let out
a shaky sigh of relief. With nothing to do but try,
she breathed in and out, deeply and slowly, and once
again concentrated on Mulder, eyes losing focus as she
desperately attempted to read him.
Pessimistically she expected nothing, and that was
exactly what she got. Lips parting to bitterly announce
her latest failure, she was barely able to contain a
startled gasp when she heard Mulder's voice faintly in
her head.
<>
Despite the surprise she felt, her eyes quickly refocused,
and she responded instinctively, mind-speaking his name
in return. There was little time to marvel at the ease
with which she did so.
<>
Gaze locked steadily on hers, the expression on his face
was one of understanding, though there was an undercurrent
of strain there. Despite this, and the brevity of their
exchange, both were enough to bolster her.
Her mind cleared, and an image immediately filled it.
Irony at its best once again, she thought with a brief
flare of anger, and struggled to keep that anger from
her voice as she spoke. "The Hoover Building."
Mulder's minute reactions -- the brief flash in his eyes,
the barest tilt of his head, things no one else but she
would pick up on -- told her that she had identified it
accurately. His reactions had been her barometer or gauge
for her success or failure throughout the testing. The
tightening of his lips and a blank expression had told her
when she was wrong.
For some reason her eyes flicked from her relieved partner
to the Doctor, though she quickly averted her gaze before
her notice could be brought to his attention. If she were
not mistaken, the man had been caught off-guard by her
correct response. As if he had expected them to fail.
With a flash of insight, Scully realized that They were
fully aware of the limits of the mind-reading drug. It
did not, however, explain the necessity of the testing.
But it could explain why Their controls for the variables
were rather limited -- normally in a testing situation
such as this, she and Mulder would not have been able to
see each other, thereby negating any visual cues. It was
as if that variable had not mattered.
Whether the revelation threw her off or not, she missed
the next three images completely, drew complete blanks
each time. Yet she was jolted only once, the first time
she missed -- a brief stab of electricity that was over
before it really began. Mulder was spared.
There was no rhyme or reason, no discernible pattern to
the punishment. It was an extremely unpredictable and
therefore effective method.
The return of the technician interrupted her musings. She
noted with fear-heightened curiosity that he was carrying
a black case, similar to the one that had borne the truth
serum.
As before, the case was brought immediately to the Doctor.
He wasted little time unzipping it and unfolding the two
sides, apparently to inspect the contents.
Scully's glance at Mulder showed he was equally focused on
the proceedings, his face wearing the blankness that denoted
tension or fear. But her gaze seemed to pull his attention
to her, and they shared a look, shared unvoiced sentiments
and feelings for all too brief a moment.
A moment that was ended when the Doctor removed a syringe
from the case and stepped over to Mulder's right side. The
technicians joined him, one beside the doctor, and the other
at Mulder's feet, completely blocking her view of her partner.
Sitting up as straight as she was able, fighting the bonds
that held her at wrist, waist and ankle, she craned her head
at an unnatural angle in an attempt to see Mulder.
Desperation had her crying out hoarsely, "Damn it, what the
hell are you giving him?"
Ignorance was policy -- she did not receive a reply. She
heard Mulder hiss in a breath, and knew he had been injected.
And then it was her turn. She caught a glimpse of Mulder,
his head once again lolling to one side, his eyes closed
and mouth open slightly, when the trio came to stand by her
chair. The only reassurance she could glean was the steady
rise and fall of his chest.
Arm prepped, Scully bit her lip to hold back another angry
query. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched the needle
bite into her skin with a tiny prick, and fluttered when
the plunger was depressed.
Her body immediately felt like a stone, and she was completely
incapable of lifting even a finger. Eyes closing against
her will, she surrendered to the effects of the unknown drug.
But not before she hazily heard the Doctor's voice snap with
anger, "We waited too long for the testing!"
And then she was gone.
***
End Part 11 of 12